


Pack Street: An Eye For An Eye.

by MisterEAnon



Category: Pack Street - Fandom, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Missing body-parts, Sheep being in bitter funks about missing said body-parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 17:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9395555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterEAnon/pseuds/MisterEAnon
Summary: When the truth about Bellwether's sheep conspiracy came out, it made a lot of people angry.Sometimes, angry predators don't care about who's guilty and who's innocent if they're 'one of them'.(Written for Thematric Thursday. Theme: Illness.)





	

“Wake up and let me in, you jackass.”

 

I rolled over in bed, and ignored her. I knew she meant well, but I wasn't in the mood for company right now, no matter how well-meaning the company was.

 

I hadn't been in the mood for anything for days now.

 

It was only 15 seconds or so before the _click_ from behind me announced that she'd let herself in anyway. I don't know why I even bothered to lock my door in the morning these days.

 

A firm paw landed on my shoulder, and I blearily opened my remaining eye to glance up at her. “You're pretty fast at that,” I said by way of greeting, not bothering to sit up.

 

The black wolf above me huffed. I wasn't sure if it was exasperated amusement, or just exasperation. “Alright, you've been cooped up in here for too long, Cormo. You need to get out of bed,” Betty stated, punctuating her point by bodily dragging me upright. I pulled away from her, but the damage was done: I was already sitting up.

 

“I get out of bed sometimes,” I pointed out. “I've been going to work.” It's been just about the only thing I've been doing--

 

“That's the only thing you have been doing.” Apparently, she'd noticed. “Have you even been shopping lately?”

 

“I was going to soon,” I muttered, rubbing my face with a hoof. “Going outside hasn't really sounded like the best idea lately.”

 

I could see her expression out of the corner of my eye. I still couldn't quite tell what she was thinking, though. I had gotten to know the rest of my pack pretty well, but one surly wolf face looked a lot like the rest of her surly wolf faces. “Then we're going shopping,” she informed me, standing up. “C'mon.”

 

I glanced away. “Look, Betty. I appreciate what you and Al did for me. But I don't really want to go out there and face-- That,” I muttered, knowing she could hear me anyway.

 

She did. “Well, you need food, so you're going to anyway,” she replied in a firm tone, taking me by the hoof and pulling me to my hooves. I stumbled at the sudden movement, glaring at her automatically. I wasn't sure how effectively I could glare at anyone, anymore.

 

Before I could say anything, though, she narrowed her eyes at me right back. “Look, yarnball. I get it. There are people out there who think your species is a time-bomb just waiting to hurt people. Take it from me: You'll survive. We did,” she muttered. “Meet me in the common room in ten minutes.”

 

The black wolf turned and walked away silently. I watched her go just as quietly, musing on what she'd said.

 

Well, I guess that was me told, then.

 

( * * * )

 

I was getting pretty used to the hateful stares by now. It had been a week since Bellwether was arrested, but sheep and their evil conspiracies were still the subject of just about every newspaper and magazine I happened to pass anyway.

 

Catching the mastermind responsible for several months worth of civil unrest and biological terrorism was probably news big enough to be covered a week or two straight, admittedly, but I was still sick of hearing about it. Especially when certain people had seen that she'd only conspired with fellow sheep, and come up with the idea that all sheep were evil co-conspirators responsible for their months of being distrusted and hated.

 

That had turned out to be whole mobs of certain people. Certain predators who wanted nothing more then to put the people who they saw as responsible for their misery through the same pain they had felt.

 

Putting a hoof up underneath my unseeing eye, I was pretty sure I was starting to get the picture. I tried not to remember how I got it, and immediately failed, reflexively flinching away from nothing as I remembered claws rending flesh.

 

“Hey, ram-rod.”

 

I shook my head to clear it, turning my head to look at Betty. She had stayed in front of me ever since we started walking, which was fine. She had also stayed on my blind side the entire time, which was irritating. If she was trying to keep me from seeing the _looks_ she gave me every so often, it wasn't working. “Are you going to make me guess what that's a euphemism for? Because I'm not going back to Pandora's--”

 

The wolf gave an amused snort. “Don't even. I was talking about the one you've recently put back up your ass, thanks. It looked like it was hurting for a sec- You forget the lube or something?” she joked. Despite her words, though, I noticed she was slowing down just in case.

 

I shook my head, this time for an entirely different reason. “No, just… Remembering,” I admit. “It's hard not to remember the worst parts.”

 

She had slowed her pace to be walking side by side with me, now. She glared at a few passing predators who were giving us- Or just me, in all probability- the evil eye. Once everyone had fucked off to her satisfaction and returned their attentions elsewhere, she looked back at me. “Sounds rough.”

 

I actually turned to stare at her, and she had the good grace to look embarrassed. “That's an understatement. But…” I took a deep breath. “It would have been a lot worse if you guys hadn't shown up. So… Thanks for that,” I finished somewhat lamely, turning my eye back to where I was going.

 

I felt her paw take hold of my hoof, and felt the slight mental disconnect of not being able to see something that I _should_ , even though I could feel it. I still wasn't used to it. “You don't have thank us. You're pack, yarnball. We'd have done it for any of us.”

 

Betty's bruises had already healed. I was pretty sure Al would be keeping his scar for a while, though. “Maybe you would have. But you didn't have to, and you did anyway. So, thank you.”

 

The wolf cast her eyes down for a moment, and I couldn't read her expression. Before I could ponder on it too deeply, though, she squeezed my hoof and let go of it. “You can flatter me all you want, but I'm not going to carry your bags for you,” she replied, gesturing to the store in front of us.

 

I rolled my eyes dramatically, glad that both of them still worked for at least that much. “What am I getting out of you tagging along again, anyway?”

 

“My sparkling personality,” she droned without hesitating, making me smirk. Maybe there were still reasons to leave my room these days, after all.

 

At least when I had my own personal guard dog, anyway.

 

( * * * )

 

I set my bags down in the hall in front of my apartment door. I had tolerated it the whole trip through, but I needed to know. “Why are you doing that, anyway?”

 

Betty leaned back against the wall, patting down her pockets for her cigarettes and grimacing when she didn't find any, crossing her arms. “What, standing in front of your door like a dumb-ass? I'm waiting on you.”

 

I shook my head. “No, I mean… The whole trip, you've been staying on my right side.”

 

She tilted her head, in that way wolves tended to do when they felt like questioning something. “Yeah? What about it?”

 

I frowned at her. “It's bothering me, is what. Are you trying to stay where I can't see you, or what?” It was working, incidentally, but I was on a roll.

 

She uncrossed her arms, holding them up. “Whoa, there. I'm not trying to bother you. Hell, half of us are convinced you don't trust us preds at all anymore, with the way we haven't seen you around. It's just…” She trailed off, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“It's just what?”

 

“It's just a stupid reason, so you shouldn't worry about it,” she grumbled. “Look, are we gonna stand out in the hallway all night, or what? Because you should probably stick your shit in the fridge.”

 

Yes. Yes, I should. I picked my bags back up, and nudged open my door. I hadn't bothered to lock it after Betty had picked it open. “I think I know a thing or two about stupid reasons, so you might as well lay it on me,” I responded, setting my groceries down by the fridge.

 

I was halfway through putting the first bag away when she answered. “You can't see that side, so we're gonna see for you. Be your eyes,” the wolf finally admitted. “You probably don't need our help- I know I sure as hell wouldn't want to be treated like a cripple as long as _I_ had one good eye, but we're still your pack, Cormo.”

 

I silently mused on that for a moment. “You're right,” I decided, turning to face her as I set down my bag, walking towards her. “I don't need your help.”

 

I didn't have to be a wolf to recognize the hurt on her muzzle. “But,” I added quickly, “I think… Yeah. I think I'm still glad to have it,” I admitted. “Next time you guys go out, you can count me in.”

 

She actually smiled at me, and without any trace of her usual snide wit, either. It seemed… Genuine. “Sounds good. Hey, maybe you'll finally get Anneke that slider of hers or something,” she joked.

 

I huffed. That had come up just about every time the aardwolf and I had shown up in the same place to eat. “Yeah, maybe as soon as Marty discovers a flavor other then grape. Now get out of here- I think I can handle my groceries by myself.”

 

She lifted her paws in a gesture of surrender, and showed herself out. As I padded back towards the open fridge, I took a moment to reflect on my situation.

 

Things had definitely been bad, lately. With my medical bills, I sure as hell wasn't moving out of Pack Street anytime soon.

 

And yet, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and I found I didn't really mind the idea of being stuck here a little longer after all.


End file.
